Chapter 5
Back in Baghdad, the medical teams scrambled to take care of the Presidential party.
The first priority was to assess the President's injuries and stabilize them. Two military doctors did a quick assessment.
Vital signs were weak. His airway was open so an oxygen mask was placed on his face. An IV line was started and monitor leads were placed on his chest. Quick x-rays were taken of his chest, his pelvis, and his legs.
While the doctors were waiting on the x-rays to be developed, they turned to assess his visible injuries. The President was bleeding from several cuts on his head. His left ankle seemed to be broken and he was unconscious. He had been found underneath some of the heaviest pieces of the wreckage so internal organ damage was a possibility. But so far there was no evidence of that kind of damage. The most obvious of his injuries were broken bones and cuts.
The x-rays were quickly developed. Both physicians confirmed the diagnosis. The President had broken his pelvis, three ribs and an ankle. No apparent internal injuries.
Then they saw more trouble.
A collapsed left lung due to fluid in the chest cavity. One of the fractured ribs had punctured a lung. The doctor quickly inserted a chest tube in the President's left lung to inflate it and blood poured into the container.
"We need to operate right now." The staff scrambled. The President was quickly anesthetized and a sterile field was arranged.
The doctors cut between two ribs and pulled the muscles apart to determine the problem. They saw that the broken rib had punctured an artery as it tore through the lung tissues. They cut the broken part of the rib off and sealed the artery as quickly as they could. But by then, the President had lost a massive amount of blood.
"Blood pressure dropping. Pulse rapid. He needs more fluid."
His vital signs were getting weaker.
"Get some more blood in him. NOW!" Orders were flying everywhere.
The staff hurried to follow their orders. This was a patient with life-threatening injuries as well as their Commander in Chief. They were doing the best they could to keep him alive.
The doctors finally were able to stop the bleeding. His oxygen saturation level began to rise. Hopefully, he would stabilize and could be transported to a better-equipped hospital.
After closing, the anesthesiologist notified the surgeons that the President's vital signs had finally stabilized, but were still below normal. The anesthesiologist stayed right with him, on alert for any further signs of trouble.